Racer Ashwin Sundar, wife charred to death after their BMW catches fire in Chennai

Race driver Ashwin Sundar and his wife, Niveditha, were both charred to death on Saturday morning after their BMW crashed and caught fire in Chennai.

The incident, which was caught on video and went viral on social media, happened at around 3:30 am on Saturday, police told HT. Both Ashwin and his wife, a doctor at a private hospital in Chennai, died on the spot after their car swerved out of control and crashed into a tree, catching fire.

Both of them were unable to open the doors and were trapped inside the burning vehicle.

The bodies have since been sent to the Royapettah Government Hospital for a postmortem examination.

In 2008, the 27-year-old race driver signed a deal with German racing team Ma Con Motorsport and subsequently drove for the German Formula Volkswagen ADAC Championship. He had said in an interview then that “I actually like riding bikes more. On two-wheelers, you get the real sense of speed, it feels more dangerous.” The accident comes days after the Chennai police had seized ten luxury cars for racing on the East Coast Road, and arrested one person for allegedly driving over the foot of a police officer.